Authorities recovered the body of Anna Mburu, the 7-year-old girl who went missing this week.
A "desperate," days-long search began on Sunday after the girl was reported missing.
Her last known location was in the city of Lowell around 2 or 3pm that day. She had been wearing a white vest, a purple hair tie and black shorts.
It's unclear what the circumstances behind her disappearance were — some theorise she was riding her bike.
Anna was described as being "on the autism spectrum" and was "nonverbal," according to the police.
The authorities deployed search dogs and dive teams, eventually locating her in the Merrimack River on Monday afternoon.
Eventually, they found the missing girl by using side-scan sonar, which found her body being carried by a "very strong current" down the river, MassLive reported.
Divers went in, found the girl's body and recovered her in about eight feet of water around 15 to 20 yards (about the same in metres) from the shore.
Middlesex County District Attorney Marian Ryan announced the discovery, according to CBS. She said the girl's body had been found near the Trull Brook Golf Course in Tewksbury.
"We are all heartbroken to be here this afternoon to report that it appears that the end of the search has come with the recovery of a body of a young child preliminarily identified as 7-year-old Anna Mburu," she said.
Anna's disappearance and subsequent tragic recovery came as a shock to the community. She was beloved by many.
Her art teacher, Lisa Labrecque, joined in the search on Monday and told CBS that Anna was "a sweet little girl."
"She's funny. She likes art. She likes to paint. She loves to paint," she said. "I'm just thinking about the family and how they must be feeling right now."
A vigil for Anna will be held at 7pm local time Tuesday in the downstairrs church hall of St. Michael's Parish at 12 Sixth St. in Lowell.
St. Michael Paris will hold a vigil for Anna and her family at 7 p.m. Tuesday in the downstairs church hall, 12 Sixth St., Lowell.
